A guy from the Great Lakes state who loves watching & reviewing movies.

Saturday, February 25, 2017

The Michigan Movie Guy's Top 25 Films of 2016

2016 was a crappy year overall, & I think we can all agree on that. But in terms of film, 2016 was one of the best years of film since at least 2007. Now, I will be announcing the 25 best films of 2016. Here we go!

25. Denial

★★★★★ - An excellent film about an amazing true story that is now more important than ever in today's political climate.

24. Paterson

★★★★★ - One of Jim Jarmusch's best films, featuring an excellent performance from Adam Driver & a breakout performance from Golshifteh Farahani.

23. Zootopia

★★★★★ - The best animated film of 2016. It has amazing animation & an absolutely amazing message that is extremely timely.

★★★★★ - One of the best coming-of-age films in recent memory. This film is filled with great performances, great direction, a brilliant screenplay, & one of the best soundtracks of the year.

17. Fences

★★★★★ - This amazing adaptation of August Wilson's iconic play features amazing performances from Denzel Washington & Viola Davis.

16. The Nice Guys

★★★★★ - One of the funniest films of the year, led by a hilarious Ryan Gosling, a fascinating return to form by Russell Crowe, a potentially star-making performance from Angourie Rice, & excellent direction & screenwriting from Shane Black.

15. Silence

★★★★★ - Featuring great performances & breathtaking cinematography from Rodrigo Prieto, this 28-year passion project is one of Martin Scorsese's best of the century.

14. Lion

★★★★★ - This is a great film about an astonishing true story. The performances are great, the direction is great, the screenplay is excellent, the editing is great, the film score is great, & the cinematography is amazing. (Also, the fact that Rooney Mara is in it made me love this film automatically).

13. The Edge of Seventeen

★★★★★ - One of the best coming-of-age comedies I've ever seen. The cast is amazing, & it's an amazing filmmaking debut for Kelly Fremon Craig.

12. Hacksaw Ridge

★★★★★ - Filled with some of the best war scenes in recent memory, this excellent return to form for Mel Gibson features a great performance from Andrew Garfield, great editing, & excellent sound design.

11. Hidden Figures

★★★★★ - An excellent film filled with great performances, great direction, a brilliant screenplay, & an excellent soundtrack.

★★★★★ - The funniest film of the year. This definitely ranks as one of Richard Linklater's best films, along with Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight, Boyhood, & Dazed & Confused.

8. Hell or High Water

★★★★★ - One of the best crime thrillers in years. The cast is spectacular, especially Ben Foster. The direction by David Mackenzie & the screenplay by Taylor Sheridan are both amazing. And the cinematography by Giles Nuttgens is absolutely stunning.

7. Elle

★★★★★ - The best foreign-language film of the year. Isabelle Huppert gives her best performance ever. Paul Verhoeven directs his best film yet, & David Birke's screenplay is brilliant. This film went to places I never thought a film would go. All at once, it's disturbing, thrilling, & hilarious.

6. The Lobster

★★★★★ - The weirdest film I've ever seen. Colin Farrell gives an excellent performance, & Yorgos Lanthimos's direction is amazing. But the best part of the film is Lanthimos & Efthymis Filippou's brilliantly funny screenplay.

5. Arrival

★★★★★ - It's the best sci-fi film I've ever seen. Amy Adams's performance is beautifully nuanced, & Denis Villeneuve's direction is amazing. Eric Heisserer's screenplay is brilliant. The cinematography is stunning, the editing is amazing, the production design is breathtaking, the sound design is amazing, & the visual effects are the best I've seen in a long time.

★★★★★ - The most beautiful film of the year. The performances are excellent. The direction is excellent. The screenplay is amazing. The cinematography, editing, costume design, production design, sound design, & makeup & hairstyling are all phenomenal. But the film score & the original songs are the most amazing part of this film. This is one of the best film musicals ever made.

2. Manchester by the Sea

★★★★★ - One of the most real films of the year, this features the best male performance of the year from Casey Affleck, a breakout performance from Lucas Hedges, & an absolutely heartbreaking performance from Michelle Williams. Kenneth Lonergan's direction & screenplay is beautifully understated. The editing from Jennifer Lame is excellent. And Lesley Barber's score is hauntingly beautiful.

1. 20th Century Women

★★★★★ - This is the best film I've ever seen. Annette Bening gives the best performance of the year, & the best of her career. Elle Fanning & Greta Gerwig give their best performances yet. Billy Crudup gives his best performance since his performance in Almost Famous. Lucas Jade Zumann gives an amazing breakout performance. Mike Mills's direction & screenplay are absolutely amazing, building off the promise given by his previous masterpieces, 2005's Thumbsucker & 2011's Beginners. The costume design, film editing, production design, cinematography & makeup & hairstyling are phenomenal. And the film score by Roger Neill is the best of the year. I've never felt as big of an emotional connection to a film as I did here. I cried tears of joy when I saw this film. The characters in this film felt so undeniably real, as I encounter people like them every day. This is a film that will stick with me for a long time.